Apparatus for proportioning and mixing gas.



H. PETTIBONE.

APPARATUS FOR PROPORTIONING AND MIXING GAS.

(Application filed Aug. 8, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet I.

Nu. 696,l07. Patented Mar. 25, I902.

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Q/Wh Lmow No. 696,t07. v Patented Mar. 25, I902.

- H. PETTIBONE.

APPARATUS FOR PBOPOBTIONING AND MIXING GAS.

(Appliatioa med Aug. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets8heei 2.

'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? -HAWLEY PETTIBONE, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEWYORK.

APPARATUS FOR PROPORTION-1N6 AND MIXING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,107, dated March25, 1902.

Application filed August 8, 1900- Serial No. 26,260. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAWLEY PETTIBONE, a citizen of the United States,re'siding'at New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forProportioning and Mixing Gas; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to a proportioning and governing valve for mixingdifferent kinds of gas, such as Water-gas and producergas orgas and air,for use as fuel and for power in gas-engines.

The object of my invention is to provide convenient and automatic'apparatus for correctly proportioning and governing the How ofdifferent kinds of gas and the delivery of a mixture of gases in thedesired proportion and volume for the work required,

My apparatus is designed particularly for mixing large volumes of gas,such as producer-gas and water-gas, in the proper proportions for use asa fuel in all kinds of metallurgical operations and for powerpurposes ingas-engines, wherein a mixture of watergas and producer-gas has beenfound most eifective in runningla'rge engines of several hundred up toseveral thousand horse-power.

The devices and combinations of parts constituting my invention hereinwill be set forth in the claims.

I will now describe the details of construcf tion of my improvedapparatus by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1represents a vertical section, with parts in elevation, of myproportioning and governing valve apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a sideelevation, partly in section, illustrating the thermostatic device andits connections with a gate in one of the cup-valves.

My proportiouing and mixing valve apparatus is constructed with asuitable cylindrical shell A, which is divided by horizontalpartition-plates a a into the receiving gaschambers BB respectively, attop and bottom of-the'shell and the central mixing gaschamber B. Thecylinder is also provided with top and bottom plates a and a and to thelatter plate is secured a drip-pipe a for carrying oif water ofcondensation. An inletpipe I) for producer-gas connects with chamber B,and a smaller inlet-pipe b for watergas connects With chamber B Anoutletpipe b for mixed gasconnects with the central chamber B. Upon thetop plate a? is constructed a water-tank C for the governingholder D. Aguide-tube c for the valve-rod E is secured centrally to the plate a andrises in tank 0 above the water-line. Suitable guide rods or staudards'c0 are secured to the side of tank 0 and form guides and bearings for thewheels on the holder D. The top of standard 0 is also provided with afulcrum-snpport c for the counterbalancinglever M. A small equalizinggas-pipe c having a valve 0 connects the outlet gas-pipe b with theinterior of the gas-holder D, rising therein abovethewater-line, andsuch pipe is connected with plate a by a fitting c, which is bolted tothe plate. The central valve-rod E is secured by a suitable fitting andscrew-bolts d to the top of the holder D,

and an inverted tube (1 is secured to the rod within the holder andworks over the upright tubec, making a sealed passage for the valve rodE.

The upper end of rod E is screw-threaded and has connected to it acoupler d having an eye or staple, to which is connected the chain 01which in turn-connects with the upper end of the curvedbearing 'n at theend of the counterbalance-lever or rocking arm M. The valve-rod E passesdown through the tubes 0 and d and thence through the gaschamberB andinto the gas-chamberB',where it connects with both of the cup-valves Fand H. The cup-valve F is preferably made cylindrical with a closedbottom and with numerous ports f in its cylindricalportiomvthich arepreferably of rectangular form and extend from the bottom plate to nearthe top of the cup. The bottom plate of the cup F is pro vided centrallywithahemispherical concave portion f for making a ball-joint connectionwith the valve-rod. The valve-rod E'is provided with a half-balle,having its convex portion upward and adapted to fit in the concave f:The rod E is screw threaded where it passes through the half-ball e andabove and below the same and has applied to it above the concave f awasher e and a lock-nut 6 The half-ball e is provided at its under sidewith a nut 19, which is made integral with it, and both the-halt'-balland nut have an internally-screw-threaded opening, the nut 11 servingfor the application of a wrench to adjust the half-ball in the proper.

position on rod E. The horizontal partition.

a hemispherical concave socketf to which is connected the spider 6 whichis attached to the sides of the lower cup-valve I-I. Below the socket fand within the same is secured the half-ball e and its nut 6 which aremade in one piece. A washer e and lock-nut e are applied to the rod Eabove the socket for properly adjusting and holding in place theball-joint for holding valve II in exact position to make a tight jointwith its annular seat G. The cup-valve II is provided with ports h inits cylindrical Wall and has alarge opening 7L cut in its bottom, and isalso provided with an annular flange 71, which fits up against theannular valve-seat G. This I annular valve-seat is secured byscrew-bolts g to the partition-plate a. In the interior of the cup-valveII is fitted an extra cup I, having rectangular ports 1', which areadapted to register with the valve-ports h. This 4 cup I serves as agate for varying the size of the ports 7L in cup II for varyingand'regulating the relative proportion of water-gas admitted fromchamber B into the mixingchamber B. To the bottom of the regulating-cupI is secured a yoke or hanger 'i', extending down into the chamber B andhaving at its lower end a squared angular opening, in which is fittedthe upper end of the operating-rod K. This rod K is provided with an armk, and its lower end is seated in a suitable bearing in the bracket orstandard L, which is secured to the bottom plate a To the arm k ispivotally connected the rod Z, to the outer end of which is pivotallyconnected at Z the screw-threaded rod Z, which latter passes out throughthe bracket m, as shown in Fig. 1.

The nut Z having a handle, is applied to the screw-threaded end of rod Zand has a bearing in the bracket m, so that by turning it to the rightor left the rods Z and Z can be pushed inward or outward, therebyturning the rod K and the regulating cup or gate I for more or lessclosing or opening the ports h in the cup-valve H.

I preferably use a thermostat-regulator, as illustrated in Fig. 2, forautomatically controlling and regulating the cup or gate I to deliver amixed gas of uniform calorific power, regardless of the proportions ofthe two gases.

My thermostatic regulator maybe constructed as follows: I provide asmall droptube boiler R, which is connected by a trappipe 1* with thebottom of chamber T, which is supported on legs t or in other convenientmanner. To the top of chamber T is secured circumferentially a flexiblediaphragm t, to which is applied a weight 15. A pipe 0 having a valve 0for mixed gas,connects with the outlet-pipes b and extends down to aperforated burner-coil 0 below the boiler R, where the mixed gas isburned for heating the boiler. A bell-crank lever 1 '1" is pivotallyconnected at l to a bracket on the side of the gas-chamber and connectsat its lower end with the rod 1, and its upper end rests on thediaphragm t or pivotally connects with the weights 1!. Any suitableliquidas water, ether, or alcohol-is placed in the vaporizer or boilerR. It the mixed gas delivered by the pipe I) and branch pipe 0 growsricher, a hotter flame will be produced at the burner 0therebyincreasing the pressure in the vaporizer R, which pressure willbe immediately transmitted to the diaphragm t, raising the weight t andlever-arm Z, which will act to draw out the rod Z Z, thus partlyrotating the regulating cup or gate I and partly closing the ports h inthe cup 11 of the water-gas valve. A smaller proportion of water-gaswill therefore be admitted to the mixing-chamber B, and the mixture willconsequently possess less heating power or a lower calorific value. Whenthe mixed gas delivered by pipe b is too lean or too low in heatingpower, the pressure on the diaphragm twill be decreased, allowing thesame to drop, thereby pushing in the rod Z Z and more fully opening theports h in the water-gas valve I'I, thereby admitting a largerproportion of water-gas to the mixing-chamber B. This thermostaticdevice is quite sensitive and the parts act quicklyand automatically tocontrol the calorific power of the gas delivered by pipes I) to theburners in furnaces, &c.

The walls of the gas-chambers B B B are provided with large openingshaving removable plates or doors as 00 m for giving access to thecup-valves and their connections.

The counterbalancing-lever or rocking arm M is connected by a pin m tothe fulcrumsupport 0 and is provided at its opposite ends with thecurved bearing-plates n n. A chain 0 is connected to the upper end ofthe bearing-plate n and connects at its lower end with the rod 19, whichsupports the counterweights P.

The apparatus havingbeen constructed and arranged substantially as abovedescribed, the valves are properly adjusted to their seats by pullingthem up into position, then slackening or loosening the lock-nuts, suchas 6 and the washer e. The valve F can now be accurately adjusted withits bearing-flrmgef upon the seat G, the socketf in the bottom of thevalve turning freely upon the half-ball 6, so that every part of thecircumferential flange shall bear closely upon the seatG and make atight joint therewith. This having been effected, the nut e and washerare turned tightly againsttheir bearings, thereby holding'the valverigidly in position on the rod E. The cup-valve H will be adjustedoin asimilar manner upon the rod E for makinga tight joint with its" seat G.In order to decrease or lessen the proportion of water-gas admitted fromchamber B into the mixing-chamber B, the cylindrical gate I will beslightly turned for partially Lcovering the'ports h -of the cup-valve,such operation being performed by means .of the screw-nut Z- on the rodZ outside of'gas-chamber B If it is desired to increase the proportionof water-gas admitted into chamber 15', then the gate I is turned in theopposite direction to more widely open the ports 72. It is to be notedthat the yoke or hanger i, having a squared openingin its lower end,slides up and down on the'squared rod K as the valve H rises or falls.

There may be-fu'rther provided with each valve pieces of metal forblocking off or par tially closing the ports incup-valve F, so

that incase a mixture richer in water-gas is from a separate holderthrough'the sixteeninch gas-inlet b to the gas-chamber B, and at thesame time water-gas,- also madeby the Loomis process and consisting ofcarbonic oXid, hydrogen, and marsh-gas or other carbureted hydrogen, issupplied from a separate holder through the ten-inch inlet b to thechamber B The valve on the outlet-pipe b or its connecting-pipes,leading to a furnace or gas-engine, being open and the cup-valves F andH being open, the two kinds .of gas in chambers B 13 will pass throughtheir respec tive valves into the mixing-chamber B,'wherethey will mixin the proper proportions and pass oit through pipes b to the place ofuse. When there is a full consumption of gas from the delivery-main bthe pressure falls in such pipe and in that way relieves the pressure ofgas on holder 1). This lowering of the pressure takes place through themedium of the small pipe 0 As the pressure of gas falls in thegoverning-holder D such holder falls, more widely opening the cup-valvesF and H, permitting the flow of larger volumes of gas. When theconsumption of gas at the burners or gas-engines decreases, the gasbacks up in the pipe 19 thereby increasing the pressure on the holder D,forcing the same upward, thereby partially closing the valves F and Hand shutting off or reducing the volumes of gas admitted through suchvalves to the mixing-chamber B.

It will be evident from the above that the valves F and 11 move up anddown as the demand'for gas at the burners or gas-engines increases ordecreases, the valves being automatically-actuated by thegoverning-holder D. The counterweights P on the rod 19, connected to theouter end of the counterbalancelever M, are used not onlyto'counterbalance the Weight of the valves F and H and the rod E, butcan'be readily removed or replaced, so

that in case a-heavier pressure is required on thedeliverygas-main partof the weights are taken off, causing the valves]? and H to close ormove toward their seats under heavier pressu re 'of gas on'thedelivery-main. Again,

if a less pressure is required it i's'obtainedby adding more weights P,thereby counteracting part of the weight of the holder,:&c., and

causing the holder to move under lighter pressure. 1

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLettersPatent,

1; In a gas proportioning and mixing'aps paratus, twogas-receivingchambers and an cup-valve having ports and bearing on said seat,agoverning-holder above said gas-chambers, a rod connecting said holderwith said cup-valves, means connecting with one of the and a pipeconnection from the mixing-chamber to the governing-holder,substantially as described.

'2. In a gas proportioning and mixingapparatus, the combination with twogas-receiving chambers, two connected supply-valves having ports, and agovernin -holder connecting with said valves for supplying gases ofdifferent calorific value in the desired proportions, of means fordelivering a mixed gas of fixed and uniform calorific value, consistingof a mixing-chamber having a gas-delivfrom the other, bypartition-plates, each having a valve-opening and an annular seat, acup-valve having ports and arranged to bear, one on each seat, agoverning-holder above said gas-chambers, a rod connecting with saidholder, and having a ball-and-soclret connection with each of saidcup-valves, whereby cup-valves for varying the size of its ports thevalves may be accurately adjusted on the rod to make tight joints withtheir annular seats, and a pipe connection from the mixing-chamber tothe governing-holder, substantially as described.

at. In a gas proportioning and mixing ap paratus, the combination withtwo gas-chambers separated by a partition having avalveopening and anannular seat, of a governingholder above the same, a cup-valve having anattached socket, and adapted to bear on said seat, a valve-rodconnecting with said holderand having a ball or part ball, and means forengaging the latter with said socket for accurately adjusting said valveon the rod to make a tight joint with its annular seat, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a gas proportioning and mixing apparatus,two adjacent gas-chainbers separated by a partition-plate, having a valve-opening and anannular seat, in combination with a cup-valve having ports in its wall,a cylindrical gate in said cup and having ports arranged to registerwith the ports thereof, a yoke connecting with said gate and having anangular opening at its lower end, an operating-rod working in saidopening and having a lateral arm, and a jointed rod pivotally connectingwith said arm, and extending through the wall of the chamber, wherebythe gate may be turned in the cup-valve to control the ports thereof,substantially as described. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

HAWLEY PE'PTIBONE. Witnesses:

W. D. MoRRIs, HARRY A. KIMBEE.

